Lowrie returns; Altuve improving

Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie was in uniform Tuesday after almost two months on the disabled list and on rehab assignments in Corpus Christi and Lancaster while recovering from a nerve injury in his right leg.

Interim manager Tony DeFrancesca said Lowrie could be back on the field as early as Wednesday, and Lowrie said he’s ready to go.

“Hopefully I can get to the point where I’m playing every day and contributing like I was before,” he said. “I went down for a few games, trying to see how I would respond, and it started to feel good, and I could think about playing the game rather than how my knee felt.”

Second baseman Jose Altuve, sidelined with an abdominal strain since last week, entered Tuesday’s game as a defensive replacement and could be back in the lineup today.

Manager search moves forward

Interim manager Tony DeFrancesco said he looks forward to meeting with owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow and others to discuss his chances of landing the manager’s job for 2013.

“I hope my presence on the field right now, the experience I’m getting, can lead me to a permanent position,” DeFrancesco said. “I know I can do the job.”

As a veteran of the Oakland organization, he said he thinks his knowledge of the “Moneyball” approach to the game will stand him in good stead with Luhnow’s plans to rebuild.

“I grew up with that system, we implemented it in the minor leagues, and I believe in it 100 percent,” DeFrancesco said. “I hope we can translate it to the young players. The reason we’re making outs is that we’re chasing balls out of the zone and not being selective. If we can increase our on-base percentage, work the count, get the starting pitcher out of the game, that comes into play when trying to win games.”

The Astros will not renew the contract of David Gottfried, a team employee since 1998 who has held the title of assistant general manager for player relations since December 2006.

Gottfried served as acting GM after Ed Wade’s dismissal last year.

Biggio waiting for HOF vote

Craig Biggio has a few items on his plate these days as a consultant to the Astros’ managerial search and with the team’s upcoming Legends Weekend, but he also has his sights set on the Baseball Hall of Fame voting this winter.

“That (election to the Hall) would be an unbelievable thing, not just for myself and my family but the organization and the fans and everybody who supported us,” he said. “We’ll see. … You just hope that when Jan. 9 comes, it’s a good phone call.”

Biggio was honored this week as a member of the Astros’ 50th-anniversary 25-man roster. He said he appreciated the honor and the achievements of the other honorees, even as he wonders why former teammates like reliever Brad Lidge weren’t honored as well.

“It’s a pretty good team,” he said. “Put us all in our prime, and we would be good.”

As for the current team, he said he hopes the Astros can find a manager who can lead the team for a decade in partnership with ownership and the front office.

“I’m honored to be part of the process,” he said. “I like this side of it. You’re part of a team down here (on the field) and up there. When we work together, we’ll be successful.”

Oklahoma City to stay AAA site

The Astros said Tuesday they have extended their relationship with their Class AAA farm club in Oklahoma City through 2014.

The RedHawks finished 78-65 and were second in the Pacific Coast League’s American Southern Division, 1½ games behind Albuquerque.